Meet to assess crop damage due to rain

After unseasonal rain accompanied by strong winds damaged crops, mainly the standing wheat, the Punjab government has called for an urgent meeting of the Disaster Management Committee to assess the extent of the losses.

An official statement on Thursday said that high-speed winds and rain on April 16 and 17 had caused damage to the rabi (winter) crop in the State.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had earlier ordered a special “girdawari” (assessment) to ascertain the damage.

The statement added that the Chief Minister has also asked the Chief Secretary to issued detailed guidelines to Deputy Commissioners to enable completion of the “girdawari” on a priority basis.

Taking stock of the reports submitted by the Agriculture Department regarding damage caused to the standing crop, the Chief Minister has ordered all possible steps to expedite the process in order to ensure timely disbursement of compensation to the affected farmers, said the statement.